: : : : In the case of this phrase, at least in the U.S., there is really only the literal sense. The other sense is conveyed by "look down on." Another phrase is: Looked down her nose at him. In Italian, you can say, "Da alto in basso," which means "From high to low." SS

: : : "Dissed" in current slang. Disrespected, in full form. Or how about belittled, derided, despised, disregarded, put down, rejected, ran down, spurned, or undervalued?

: : I have suggested that looking down your nose at someone is looking down ON them. But you can say, if you are the one looked down on, that you feel looked down upon. If I'm wrong, tell me. SS

: Ah, Smokey, you're exploring a subtlety that I missed completely. Looked down upon (passive) versus looked down on (aggressive). Interesting. But wouldn't a word like belittled work both ways? Passive versus active voice?

When I saw "Diss" I was looking forward to seeing the relevance of either a God of the Underworld or a place in Norfolk (Hell on earth?)

I was brought up to think a Greek Myth was a girl named Nana or Helen.

to be awkward - isn't the word "on" a mere contraction for "upon" or was it that "upon" was an emphasised "on"?